releve Virginia Division of Natural Heritage, see http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/documents/nh_plotform_instructions.pdf
Overall Taxon Cover Values are Automatically Calculated?
no
Stem Observation Area
400
m²
Plot Quality Fields:
Plot Validation Level
(2) classification plot: sufficient for inclusion in a classification revision
Overall Plot Vegetation Fields:
Tree Height
37
m
Shrub Height
6
m
Field Height
5
m
Tree Cover
70
%
Shrub Cover
12
%
Field Cover
95
%
Nonvascular Cover
10
%
Misc Fields:
Observation Narrative
Resample of 13-year old permanent plot. Corners are now monumented with rebar stakes painted light blue.
The most significant change at this site since 2001 is an exponential increase in the cover of Microstegium vimineum from <1% cover to >25% cover. At the same time, the overall species richness of the plot decreased from 65 taxa in 2001 to 53 taxa in 2014. Most of the taxa that have disappeared from the plot are herbaceous species that occurred at low cover in the 2001 sample. The total density of woody stems has decreased slightly but the total basal area has increased significantly, reflecting the growth of the trees over the past 13 years.